Some Frequently-Asked Questions about some of my work...
Coaching (3)
Well, I get this question a lot. That’s why it goes in the FAQ section 🙂 Life Coach would be the closest well-known category I guess. But I would take it a little deeper and say that I am a LIVING coach. I mainly work with clients on how they live! The results of our work together become their Life!
Coaching can be distinguished from psychotherapy in several ways. To understand them, it’s important to start with definitions of each…
The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines psychotherapy as “the informed and intentional application of clinical methods and interpersonal stances derived from established psychological principles for the purpose of assisting people to modify their behaviors, cognitions, emotions, and/or other personal characteristics in directions that the participants deem desirable.”
When comparing the outcomes achieved through coaching and psychotherapy, we find core differences in four key factors: focus, purpose, population, and who is leading the change.
The Therapist
A therapist primarily addresses clinically diagnosable problems associated with mental health and trauma for individuals dealing with some form of dysfunction or disorder. They work with their patients to identify challenges through a diagnostic structure, typically based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
By focusing on psychopathology, emotions, and the past, a therapist attempts to alleviate symptoms through counseling and, at times, prescription medications. The desired outcome is a shift in behavior or result – as defined by the therapist – frequently addressing physical or emotional pain, dysfunction, and conflict within the individual or a relationship they hold. To achieve this goal, the therapist focuses on past issues to improve their client’s capacity in the present.
The Coach
A coach – and specifically a Whole Person Coach – does not rely on a pre-defined definition of normalcy. As the client, you inform the process and lead the way holistically. The coach uses powerful questioning to help you recognize and leverage your strengths and resources then self-create your desired outcomes. Client-stated goals often address aspects of personal or professional development and improvement.
Unlike the therapist, upon whom patients often remain dependent for extended periods of time, a coach builds your capacity to be your own changemaker – exponentially, in every aspect of your life.
A coach focuses on visioning and success in the present to move you into the future.
Coaching relationships are shown to produce desired outcomes among well-functioning clients and do not involve the diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders as defined by the American Psychiatric Association. Nor is coaching a substitute for counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care, or substance abuse treatment.
So… Coaching or psychotherapy: which is right for me?
You may benefit from the support of a professionally-certified coach if…
- You feel lost or confused about your purpose or next steps in life.
- You are afraid to try something new (even though it’s something you’re genuinely interested in).
- You feel constant stress, self-doubt and succumb to the “you shoulds” imposed by family and friends.
- Your happiness and forward momentum are constantly derailed by limiting beliefs, old patterns, and self-sabotage.
- You have a goal or vision but lack the focus, organization, and clarity necessary to form an action plan.
- You want to make changes to your personal or professional life such as improvements to health and wellness, personal relationships, spirituality, career, time management, or work/life balance.
- You procrastinate or have difficulty completing tasks from start to finish.
- You are facing or currently going through a major life transition.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), you may want to consider speaking with a licensed therapist or counselor if…
- You feel an overwhelming, prolonged sense of helplessness and sadness.
- Your problems fail to resolve or improve despite your efforts and help from family and friends.
- You find it difficult to concentrate on work assignments or conduct everyday activities.
- You worry excessively, expect the worst, or remain constantly on edge.
- Your actions, such as drinking too much alcohol, using drugs, or being aggressive, harm yourself or others.
Whole Person Coaching is a holistic coaching method based on the premise that when you come to know, embrace and express all aspects of your whole self, you are positioned to thrive in any aspect of life. You become rich in resources, grounded in your being, and at peace within.
Whole Person Coaching® is a thought-provoking process coupled with experience-oriented, transformative learning designed to help you to gain access to the depth and breadth of who you are at the core: mentally, emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually.
From this embodied understanding of your whole self, you can easily and effectively draw upon your deepest wisdom to overcome any stopping blocks and achieve what matters most to you.
From our work together, you will emerge fully self-innovative and well equipped to be highly effective in any aspect of your life, for the rest of your life.
Whole Person Coaching® Philosophy
The Whole Person Coaching methodology is firmly rooted in four distinct yet interrelated fundamental principles. Each principle offers guidance related to the nature and phenomena of your journey to wholeness, vitality, balance and life-fulfillment. They guide you to recognize and understand the deeper dimensions and processes at work when it comes to creating sustainable
positive change in yourself.
The foundational principles are:
- Wholeness: You are whole, completely resourceful and self-innovative
- Empowerment: You lead the way
- Synergy: Our process is co-creative and generative
- Self-Mastery: As your coach I’m devoted to learn, grow and offer you my very best self
Wholeness: You are whole, completely resourceful and self-innovative
As a Whole Person Coach, I can be counted on to:
- Witness, trust and respect you as whole and unique individual; you are a resourceful person who possesses everything you need to successfully create and navigate change on their own behalf.
- Engage all aspects of you as a whole person – mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual – to elicit the wisdom and inspiration that resides within you.
- Invite you to recognize the interrelated nature of all aspects of your life, and to examine the links and interactions between your relationships, career, identity, health, finances, and other motivating factors.
Empowerment: You lead the way
As a Whole Person Coach, I can be counted on to:
- Seek direction and your feedback to align the coaching process to your needs and desired outcome.
- Trust and allow you to solve your own problems and create your own opportunities.
- Cultivate a life- and self-affirming environment for you such that you feel safe to freely contribute and authentically express your true nature.
- Sustain a not-knowing, curious mindset that is unattached and expectation-free of you, your process and desired outcome.
Synergy (Interdependence): Our process is co-creative and generative
As a Whole Person Coach, I can be counted on to:
- Offer a highly collaborative, generative partnership that builds upon the your strengths, resources, assets and personal power and to encourage your best self to shine.
- Authentically and wholeheartedly share observations and perspectives to create a positive impact while inviting you to do the same.
- Leverage the power of the coaching relationship to promote learning, growth and positive change, from a place of openness, truth and compassion.
Self-Mastery: As your coach I’m devoted to learn, grow and offer you my very best self
As a Whole Person Coach, I can be counted on to:
- Devote myself to continued self-development as needed, including professional accreditation, advanced training, and lifelong learning. This includes mentorship to ensure that I’m bringing my best to our interactions and coaching experience.
- Effectively manage my own reactions and internal story to be fully present and supportive of your needs.
- Address any challenges or issues with professional support that could impact my ability to bring out my best in service to your needs.
Energy Work (8)
The following is a list of some books that support the work of Healing Touch. Books are organized in eight categories: Healing Touch, Energy Medicine/Holism, Quantum Physics, Spiritual Development, Personal/Professional Development, Journaling, Ethics, and Additional Resources.
Healing Touch Coursework
Esoteric Healing (Bailey)
Foundations and Practice of Healing Touch (Anderson, Anselme, Hart 2017)
Hands of Light (Brennan)
Healing Touch: Enhancing Life through Energy Therapy (Wardell, Anselme, Kagel 2014)
Joy’s Way (Joy)
White Shadow: Walking with Janet Mentgen (Wardell)
White Shadow: Walking with Janet Mentgen 2nd Edition (Wardell)
Energy Medicine/Holism
Anatomy Coloring Book (Elson)
Biology of Belief (Lipton)
(The) Bond (McTaggert)
Chakras and their Archetypes (Wauters)
Creation of Health (Myss)
Creative Energies (Hover-Kramer)
Eastern Body, Western Mind (Judith)
Earthing (Ober)
Energetic Approaches to Emotional Healing (Hover-Kramer)
Energy Anatomy (Myss)
Energy Medicine: A Scientific Basis (Oshman)
Energy Medicine (Shealy)
(The) Four Fold Way (Arrien)
(The) Heart’s Code (Pearsall)
(The) Heart Speaks (Guarneri)
Infinite Mind: Science of Human Consciousness (Hunt)
The Intention Experiment (McTaggart)
Invisible Helpers (Leadbeater)
Light Emerging (Brennan)
Mind Mastery Meditations: A Workbook for the “Infinite Mind” (Hunt)
Pendulum Power (Nielson/Polansky)
Power vs. Force (Hawkins)
(The) Power of the Mind to Heal (Borysenko)
Spiritual Alchemy: How to Transform Your Life (Page)
Spontaneous Healing of Belief (Braden)
(The) Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia For Your Energetic Anatomy (Dale)
Vibrational Medicine (Gerber)
Wheels of Life (Judith)
Wheels of Light (Bruyere)
Why People Don’t Heal (Myss)
Your Body Speaks Your Mind (Shapiro)
Ethics
Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World (Dalai Lama)
Ethics Handbook for Energy Healing Practitioners (Feinstein & Eden, 2011)
Ethics for a New Millennium (Dalai Lama)
(The) Ethics of Caring, Honoring the Web of Life in our Professional Healing (Taylor)
(The) Ethics of Touch: Creating a Professional, Safe, and Enduring Practice (Benjamin and Sohnen-Moe)
(The) Ethics of Touch 2nd Edition (Benjamin and Sohnen-Moe, 2014)
Quantum Physics
Body Electric (Becker)
Dancing WuLi Masters (Zukav)
Divine Matrix (Braden)
Energy Medicine in Therapeutics and Human Performance (Oschman)
The Field (McTaggart)
The Holographic Universe (Talbot)
Molecules of Emotion (Pert)
(The) New Physics of Healing (Chopra)
Quantum Healing (Chopra)
Quantum Reality (Herbert)
Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion (Dossey/Micozzi)
Spiritual Development
Anatomy of the Spirit (Myss)
(The) Art of Spiritual Healing (Goldsmith)
(The) Book of Forgiveness: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World (Tutu)
Called into Healing (Smith)
Care of the Soul (Moore)
(The) Chakras (Leadbeater)
(The) Chakras and the Human Energy Field (Karagulla, Kunz)
Dying to Be Me (Moorjani)
(The) Extraordinary Power of Ordinary Things (Dossey)
Fire in the Heart (Markides)
(The) Gift of Change (Williamson)
Healing From the Heart (Graham)
(The) Healing Gifts of Spirit (Sanford)
(The) Healing Light (Sanford)
Healing Words (Dossey)
Homage to the Sun (Markides)
(The) Isaiah Effect (Braden)
Love and Survival (Orhish)
The Magus of Strovolos (Markides)
Mind Body Spirit Workbook (Page and Hagenbach)
New Dimensions in Healing (Saraydarian)
Practicing the Presence (Goldsmith)
Return to the Sacred: Ancient Pathways to Spiritual Awakenings (Ellerby)
Sacred Mirrors (Grey)
Seat of the Soul (Zukav)
Seven Spiritual Causes of Ill Health (Kroeger)
Spiritual Alchemy: How to Transform Your Life (Page)
(The) Spiritual Dimension of Therapeutic Touch (Kunz, Krieger)
Spiritual Madness (Myss)
Touching Peace (Thich Nhat Hahn)
(The) Untethered Soul (Singer)
Uncommon Touch (Harpur)
Walking a Sacred Path (Artress)
When Fear Falls Away (Jan Friedman)
When Things Fall Apart: Hard Advice for Difficult Times (Chodron)
Wherever You Go There You Are (Kabat-Zinn)
Personal/Professional Development
(The) Anatomy of Peace (Arbinger Institute)
A Return to Love: Reflections of Principles of a “Course in Miracles” (Williamson)
A New Earth (Tolle)
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind (Chopra)
BodyMind Workbook (Shapiro – retitled Healing Mind, Healing Body)
Born to Serve (Trout)
Business Mastery (Sohnen-Moe)
Creating Affluence (Chopra)
Creative Imagery in Nursing (Shames)
(The) Energy of Money (Nehmeth)
Excuse Me: Your Life is Waiting (Grabhorn)
(The) Gift of Imperfection (Brown)
Heal Your Body (Hay)
Healers on Healing (Carlson)
Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection (Sarno)
Healing Touch: A Guidebook for Practitioners, 2nd ed. (Hover-Kramer)
Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling (Dyer)
Invisible Heroes: Survivors of Trauma and How they Heal (Naparstek)
Leadership and Self-Deception (Arbinger Institute)
Love, Medicine, and Miracles (Siegel)
(The) Medicine Woman’s Guide to Being in Business for Yourself (Bridges)
Mentoring (Hang)
Nurse as Healer (Keegan)
Principle Centered Leadership (Covey)
(The) Power of Intention (Dyer)
Real Happiness at Work: Meditations for Accomplishment, Achievement and Peace (Salzberg)
Right Rhythmic Living (Ethridge)
Rituals of Healing (Achterberg)
Serving Humanity (Bailey)
(The) Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey)
Spiritual Economics (Butterworth)
Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want (Sher)
Yes, I Will (Tovey)
You Can Heal Your Life (Hay)
Your Sixth Sense: Unlocking the Power of Your Intuition (Naparstek)
Journaling
Artist’s Way (Cameron)
(The) Creative Journal (Capacchione)
Expressive Writing: Foundations of Practice (Adams)
Journal to the Self (Adams)
Journal to the Soul (Offner)
Life’s Companion (Baldwin)
Nurses Meditative Journal (Kahn)
(The) Power of Your Other Hand (Capacchione)
(The) Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into Writing Life (Cameron)
Scribing the Soul (Adams)
Storycatcher (Baldwin)
(The) Well Being Journal (Capacchione)
(The) Write Way to Wellness (Adams)
Visual Journaling (Ganim/Fox)
Writing Down the Bones (Goldberg)
Healing Touch is a relaxing, nurturing, heart-centered Energy Healing that uses gentle, intentional touch that assists in balancing physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Classified by the National Institutes of Health as a biofield therapy and nursing intervention, Healing Touch may be used to address the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA-1) diagnosis of “Imbalanced Energy Field.”
Healing Touch is a collection of standardized, noninvasive techniques that clear, energize, and balance the human and environmental energy fields. Healing Touch assists in creating a coherent and balanced energy field, supporting one’s inherent ability to heal. It is safe for all ages and works in harmony with, is complementary to, and may be integrated with standard medical care.
Research suggests Healing Touch is beneficial in calming anxiety and reducing symptoms of depression, decreasing pain, strengthening the immune system, enhancing recovery from surgery, complementing care for neck and spine problems, deepening spiritual connection, supporting cancer care, creating a sense of well-being, easing acute and chronic conditions, and supporting resiliency in health care providers.
- Yes, Healing Touch and Reiki are similar in that they are both a form of Energy Medicine that occurs in the biofield.
- Reiki is passed from one individual to another, whereas The Healing Touch certification process involves five levels of structured coursework, an apprenticeship period (typically a year or more) under a Certified Healing Touch Instructor, and formal submittal of case studies and writings to an international organization for evaluation.
- Healing Touch is a collection of several healing approaches from many traditions and many healers from around the world. Reiki is one particular approach.
- Healing Touch is taught by an international nonprofit (Healing Beyond Borders) with teachings that are standardized, so that everyone studying Healing Touch learns the same techniques. That helps it to be easily understood and researched.
- Healing Touch focuses on personal development, has Core Values, Standards of Practice, and Code of Ethics. Heart-Centeredness is the most important.
- Healing Touch wisdom says that we don’t do the healing but become a facilitator for the intention of the Client’s Highest Good. That is our objective. The healing is between the client and the Creator. We help clients to relax and learn to hold a high vibrational sacred space.
The first session involves a consultation in addition to the Healing Touch session. I will ask a series of questions about your physical, mental, and emotional situation, and will answer any questions that you have about Healing Touch. Then you lay fully clothed on a massage table while I gently place my hands slightly above or on the body in specific spots and in specific sequences depending on what our mutual goals are for the session.
A session generally lasts 40 to 60 minutes, and people frequently report feeling deeply relaxed and peaceful during and after the session. Because there may be a cumulative effect of using Healing Touch over time, regular sessions are recommended.
Healing Touch is used in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, long-term care facilities, private practices, hospices, and spas. Healing Touch was founded in 1989 as a continuing education program for nurses, massage therapists, other health care professionals, and lay persons. Today, Healing Touch is taught in universities, medical and nursing schools, and other settings around the world.
Absolutely. As a matter of fact, this recently-published study shows that medical professionals often recommend complementary therapies. It is based on data collected in 2012, and I assume that the numbers would be even higher now.
Here is a nice chart that shows many modalities of health care, including Healing Touch.
Healing and curing are different. Healing is a process of bringing all the aspects of who we are into harmony and balance with one another. Curing, in a medical model, is about fixing one aspect of who we are. One can be cured without being healed, and one can be healed without being cured. They often go hand in hand. Healing Touch is often used as an adjunct therapy to the cures of western medicine.